European Markets Close Lower

Currencies of Russia, Ukraine Plunge

By

Clare Connaghan

Updated Feb. 26, 2014 12:36 p.m. ET

European markets closed lower Wednesday, pulling back after the rally seen over the last days amid ongoing political instability in Eastern Europe.

Positive data out of Germany, with consumer confidence rising to a seven-year high, failed to support domestic equity markets. Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 closed 0.4% lower on the day, while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 lost 0.5%. The Stoxx Europe 600 index lost 0.2%, after closing the...